woodbury



y"'.IfTDSTATESPATENT OFFICE.

HENRYE. woonniix, orwAsHiNeToN, nisfrnior or COLUMBIA.

Specification `of Letters Patent No. 11,504, datedAugust 8 1854.

BURY, of the city of Washington, inthe District of Columbia, have inventedwa Useful and Improved Document File or Holder, of

which `the following `is a full, clear, and

exact description, reference being had to the on their backs.

In filing `public and private documents it is usual to fold them into regular forms and sizes and indorse each one separately .with

an epitome of its contents-date of recep` tion or note having reference to the particular character of business to which it relates,-tie, band, or put in wrapper the several documents relating to the same business accumulating from time to time. Where the business is of a varied ch-aracter of course many such iiles have to be kept, and in many instances, as for example in the various departments of the Government, where frequent reference to papers on iile is requisite, much trouble and inconvenience arises, both in filing away new papers and in abstracting old ones for examination 4in tying and untying the tape or band which is necessary to hold tightly, the several documentscomposing the file, together to prevent them scattering; `and such frequent tying and untying not only exposes papers to loss but by the abrasion `of the tape or band` on the edges of the folded document-s rubs and wears them into holes, whereas their perfect preservation, in some instances for an indefinite period, is a matter of the utmostimportance.

To obviate such injury inconvenience and annoyance in the filing of folded documents is theobject of my improvement- `which consists v of a box or compartment (A) the depth, and width across of which corresponds to the length and width of the folded Vdocument or paper, and is of any convenient length according to the number of papers designed to be held in one le. The sides 'of this box may either be made of flexible or elastic materiall to enable them Be it known that I, HENRY. E. VooDJ to yield to papers ofdiiferent widths being filed therein and to protect the edges of thepapers` from injurious abrasion; or the sides of the box may be of hard and inflexible material. Yithin this box is a loose holder or plat-en (B) that is of nearly the same width and depth as the box inside, .which is hung or attached at its center to a coiled spring (C) the other end of which is fastened against the back end of the box serves to force up the loose holder or platen (B) toward the front end of the box. A lid (D) covers the' opening in the top of the box.

The lid of the box being opened., the f0lded papers or documents are inserted between the front end of the box and the platen (B) by pushing back the platen which by its elastic pressure holds the p-apers thus inserted firmly in their place, and so from time to time fresh documents may be added till the box is full, or Old papers be abstracted without much or any delay and without displacing or removing from their hold the other papers in the file, and by the manner in which the loose holder or platen is hung and Vacted upon, the greatest facility is afforded for examining the indorsements of the several papers, in Search after one or more particular document-s on file, as the flexibility of the platen or its capability of being bent 0r leaned back (as represented in Fig. 2) admits of all yor several of the papers being drawn lpartly out of the box (A) and of being pushed back or separated at their top ends to read their indorsements wit-hout releasing the papers 'from the hold of the spring platen.

Of course any number of these box or compartment les may be built together to form a cabinet, or may be arranged upon shelves, or each be a portable and sepa-rate le as represented in the drawing, and in addition to the advantages already specified, they are simple and durable., preserve the contents perfectly free from dust, also from destruction by mice, which are very apt when papers are stored upon shelves or in pigeon holes to cut them in pieces and make their nest amongthe fragments; and the additional expense of fitting up a room or oiice with them instead of with pigeon holes would be but triing compared with the neatness of the apartment, the cleanliness and preservation of the documents, and

. the facility of reference thereto.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- The box or compartment document file constructed and operating substantially as herein described, and consisting of a box part (A) and spring platen or holder (B) the said holder being hung or attached to the spring at its back in such a manner as to give a flexible character to the holder and admit of its being leaned back or to either side to facilitate the reading of the indorsements and the abstraction from or insertion of certain papers to thele Without releasing the other papers from thev hold of the platen, and the Whole forming a more convenient'le for the lingaway of folded documents and to protect them from abrasion &c as herein set forth.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my namewthis 14th day of July HENRY E. WOODBURY. v Witnesses: Y o l KNIEP F. PAGE, .WM. M. SMITH. 

